Reviewing Jonathan Edwards' Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God

275 years ago Jonathan Edwards preached what many consider to be the greatest sermon ever preached by a sinning saint. Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God was preached to a Connecticut congregation during the summer of 1741, and it uses somber language that is often not found in today's sermons. Words like devouring flames, pit of Hell, sentence of condemnation, vessels of wrath, extreme torments, angry God, and infinite misery are used. I'm guessing these words aren't amongst your favorite, but Jesus used them and the Spirit guided Jonathan Edwards to preach them calmly so that lives were transformed.

Jonathan Edwards starts the sermon with four points regarding the suffering to which the Israelites faced. Then Edwards states ten points showing how only God's sovereign joy keeps people from perishing. The third and final part of Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God uses Scripture to prove his points and plead with those listening to trust in the only One who can save them.

It's a shame that many are afraid to discuss what Jesus saves us from and are critical of Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. I'm thankful that Jonathan Edwards, a former president of Princeton University, boldly preached what truly is a message of love and hope. The detailed descriptions of man's sinful state and the misery of Hell helped bring spiritual awakening to the lost. If you desire to better understand what it means to be a true follower and know His forgiveness, I recommend reading this important piece of the Great Awakening. If you're interested in reading more classic sermons by Jonathan Edwards and other great theologians, click here.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16